Maximizing Protection of Assets

Practicing medicine is a highly litigious profession. In fact, a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that a staggering 99% of physicians in high-risk specialties will be sued by the age of 65. Fortunately, you can defend many of your assets from potential lawsuits by following a risk management model that will systematically title your property in an advantageous way.

Carefully constructed asset protection strategies that are fully implemented before any hint of trouble are more likely to be effective in warding off potential lawsuits or reducing the settlement amount. That is where Larson Financial Group Lawsuit Protection comes in. Having your end goal in mind is extremely helpful when developing a solid plan of protection. The first step is to assess where you’re at today from a risk standpoint and how that falls short from your preferred state of protection.

Asset Protection for Physicians

Asset protection plays a critical role in many different aspects of your financial plan. If you’re starting a practice, you’ll need to recognize the implications your business plan will have on your estate. Or if you’re developing an estate plan, you need to assess what ramifications those strategies will have on your practice. Ideally, these methods will also be set up in a way that reduces your estate’s tax obligations after your death and allows your heirs to avoid the process of probate.

A carefully drafted risk management plan that protects your assets and business from liability claims will make you a less viable target for a lawsuit. However, assets that are legally exempt from creditors can vary widely from state-to-state on a case-by-case basis. Because every state has different laws to consider, it’s recommended that you partner with an attorney who is familiar with your state’s asset protection laws and case history.

Timing is everything when it comes to risk management. Asset protection strategies are only truly effective if done proactively. A reactive approach to risk management likely won’t be able to keep your assets safe.

Titles Matter

When purchasing the facility where you want your medical practice to be located, many of these same issues apply. You have to decide whether you want to put that property in your name, or in the form of an LLC that you co-own with others. If you have a partner, you should have an agreement in place that stipulates what would happen to the practice and its real estate in the event of a death or disability.

For planning purposes, you’ll want to look at your complete list of assets and classify them as:

Practice-operating assets

Practice-capital assets

Individual investments

Personal assets

Once your assets are classified, the next step is to build separation between your investment and personal assets so that everything is not on the table in the event of a liability. Incorporating your practice normally protects your personal assets from non-malpractice claims against the practice.

Oversight is Critical

When implementing an asset protection plan, the involvement of several different professionals from a variety of different disciplines is required. The services of an attorney, accountant, insurance agent and mortgage professional may all be necessary at some point, and coordinating their efforts is not always an easy task. It’s critical to work with professionals that have a fiduciary responsibility and are personally familiar with your values and objectives.